Rhododendron Deadheading

I was out in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens admiring the last of the rhododendron blooms. The long and cooler than normal weather this spring has given us a long azalea and rhododendron bloom period. I think it is possible that the stress of last year may have also contributed to a big bloom show this spring. The plants looked stressed but they were filled with blooms. Sometimes when plants are under stress they will make a lot of bloom buds as a last ditch effort to reproduce itself. One way to reduce stress and to funnel energy into new growth is to dead-head old blooms. While out in the gardens we shot some video showing this task. Take a look here to see how this process is carried out.